One Falls, but 44,000 Are Still Standing

Borrowing a line from Fr. Farfaglia on the scandal involving Miami Beach priest Fr. Cutié, it's good to be reminded of the overwhelming majority of priests steadily faithful to their vow of celibacy and commitment to the priesthood.

Those priests in the limelight, who attract crowds and are popular and thus have wide audiences to which to disseminate the message of the gospel, should know they are the first target of the enemy; if Satan can make one of these fall, he will have won a sweet victory indeed. We see what happened to Fr. Francis Stone, and the resulting scandal. Is it a surprise that a Hispanic priest should succumb after years popularity on radio and TV?

The debate on optional celibacy that this event has reignited is no surprise, and is, of course, a red herring. I suggest Fr. Farfaglia's spot on article on this topic.